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Allie Burke
Plectra for guitars and similar instruments A plectrum for guitars is typically a narrow, isosceles triangle with rounded corners; the acutest angle is the one used to pluck the string. Such a plectrum can also be called a pick (or a flatpick to distinguish it from fingerpicks). Plectra are made of a variety of materials, including tortoise shell and celluloid, but today plastic is the most common. The size, shape and width may vary considerably. Thin items such as small coins can be used as a substitute plectrum. Banjo and guitar players may wear a metal or plastic thumb pick mounted on a ring, and bluegrass banjo players often wear metal or plastic fingerpicks on their fingertips. Guitarists also occasionally use fingerpicks. Guitarists in the rock, blues, jazz and bluegrass world tend to use a plectrum, partly because the use of steel strings tends to wear out the fingernails quickly, and also because using a plectrum allows for a more 'focused' and 'aggressive' sound. Many guitarists also develop the use of the plectrum and remaining right-hand fingers simultaneously, affording most of the advantages of both techniques. This technique is called "hybrid picking". Non-Western instruments The plectra for the Japanese biwa and shamisen can be quite large, and those used for the Arabic oud are longer and narrower, replacing the formerly used eagle feather. Plectra used for Chinese instruments such as the sanxian were formerly made of animal horn, though many players today use plastic plectra. Classical and Flamenco guitar In general, guitarists from the classical, flamenco and "fingerpicking" musical traditions do not use a pick. Instead, they use the fingertips or fingernails on the right hand. This enables them to pluck a greater number of strings simultaneously, and in the case of the Flamenco guitarist, enables them to perform a wide variety of strumming and percussive effects. These musicians also use nylon or gut strings on their guitars, which have a mellower sound and are more gentle on the hands. Plectra for harpsichords In a harpsichord, there is a separate plectrum for each string. These plectra are very small, often only about a centimeter long, about 1.5 millimeters wide, and half a millimeter thick. The plectrum is gently tapered, being narrowest at the plucking end. The top surface of the plectrum is flat and horizontal, and is held in the tongue of the jack, which permits it to pluck moving upward and pass almost silently past the string moving downward. In the past, plectra were made of sturdy feather quills, usually from crows or ravens. In Italy, some makers (including Bartolomeo Cristofori) used vulture quills.Jensen 1998, 85. Other Italian harpsichords employed plectra of leather.Hubbard 1967 In late French harpsichords by the great builder Pascal Taskin, peau de buffle, a chamois-like material from the hide of the European bison, was used for plectra to produce a delicate pianissimo.Hubbard 1967 Modern harpsichords often substitute a more durable plastic, such as delrin or celcon, for quill. This cuts down substantially on the time that must be spent in requilling. Usage note "Plectrum" has both a Latin-based plural, plectra, and a native English plural, plectrums. Plectra is used in formal writing, particularly in discussing the harpsichord as an instrument of classical music. However, plectrums is more common in ordinary speech. In vernacular speech the abbreviation pleck or "plec" (plural: plecks) is sometimes used. Notes References *Hubbard, Frank (1967) Three Centuries of Harpsichord Making. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. *Jensen, David P. (1998) "A Florentine Harpsichord: Revealing a Transitional Technology" Early Music, February issue, pp. 71-85. See also *Guitar pick *Fingerpick *Mezrab *Flatpicking *Crosspicking *String instrument Category:String instrument construction Category:Lutes Category:Harpsichord de:Plektrum et:Plektron es:Plectro eo:Plektro fa:زخمه fr:Plectre ko:피크 it:Plettro he:מפרט hu:Pengető mk:Плектрум nl:Plectrum pl:Plektron ru:Плектр simple:Plectrum fi:Plektra sv:Plektrum tr:Mızrap zh:撥子